Increasing Undergraduate Success: A Randomized Controlled Trial of U-Pace Instruction

U-Pace instruction, comprised of concept mastery and amplified assistance, has shown promise in increasing undergraduate success. To evaluate the efficacy of U-Pace instruction for students at-risk for college non-completion and students not at-risk and to determine whether concept mastery, amplified assistance, or both U-Pace components are responsible for the greater learning associated with U-Pace instruction, an experiment was conducted with four instructional conditions (U-Pace, Concept Mastery, Amplified Assistance, and Face-to-Face). At a public university, 914 undergraduates (576 at-risk) participated. U-Pace instruction produced greater learning than the comparisons. Additionally, U-Pace instruction produced greater academic success than Face-to-Face instruction. The percentage of final grades of A or B did not differ for Concept Mastery, Amplified Assistance, and U-Pace students. No interaction between instructional condition and risk status was found for final grades or learning. The efficacy of U-Pace instruction for both at-risk students and students not at-risk was supported.

Student selection process effectiveness: Correlations between task performance and undergraduate success

INTRODUCTION: This article is a case study of student selection process effectiveness in an undergraduate social work degree at Unitec in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Addressing an internationally under-researched topic, it examines whether admitted candidates’ performance on selection day tasks correlate with their success in the programme.METHODS: Applicant selection data were analysed for 2012 and 2013 cohorts (N = 196). Student success is measured in relation to outcomes across eight courses, considering both course completions and grades received. Correlational analyses were performed to address the research aim. The project also examined whether existing demographic data correlate with success, as these data represent potentially confounding variables.FINDINGS: Performance on selection activities conducted as part of application to this degree does not correlate with course completions, and correlates only moderately with higher grades received for courses. Findings also show that students who are wage-earning or self-employed on admission, studying full time, and/or admitted well before their studies begin are more likely to succeed. No other demographic factors are correlated with student success.CONCLUSIONS: This study supports existing literature documenting the ineffectiveness of selection criteria for social work programmes, and also addresses a gap in scholarship by examining the value of specific selection tools and measures. Factors that do correlate with student success suggest that being well-resourced as a student is paramount. Supporting students to succeed during the course of their study may be of higher value than attempting to select “suitable” students in the first place.

A Real PLUSS: An Intrusive Advising Program for Underprepared STEM Students

Increasing numbers of underprepared students are admitted to colleges and universities with aspirations of earning a degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) discipline. Transitioning to college is difficult for all students, but can be especially challenging for the underprepared STEM student. Many of these students are capable of completing STEM degrees if given additional support during their first-year advising sessions as well as opportunities to strengthen their foundational knowledge prior to enrolling in major-level course work. Pathways Leading to Undergraduate Success in the Sciences (PLUSS) is an intrusive advising program the University of Southern Indiana designed to provide at-risk undergraduate STEM majors with increased academic support. The PLUSS program is associated with increased retention rates.